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Allie

Aside from the fact that I love wine (which tends to be a dead giveaway by the glass I usually have in my hand), if you’ve ever spent any time with me, chances are you know at least these three things about me:

I have a giant sweet tooth

I love traditions

The holidays are my very favorite time of the year

Just ask my friend, Lisa, who during one of our first dinners out together witnessed my take down of a slice of cake the size of my head in about 3.5 seconds flat. Or my family who knows not to protest when I demand my traditional stop at Cracker Barrel whenever I fly home to Georgia (biscuits are the only proper way to begin a visit, after all). Or my sister, Valerie, who humors me every year and gives me the reaction I want when I invite her over for the unveiling of my apartment holiday décor.

We all have those things that make us tick, and when I think about mine, I’m pretty sure the reason I love the holidays so much is because they’re the ultimate celebration of all of my favorite things. Within the time span between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, I drink more wine, consume more sweets and execute more traditions than the rest of the year combined, so it makes sense why my holiday countdown begins each year on January 1st.

But what makes me the happiest is when I can enjoy all of my loves at once, which is the case with my annual Christmas visit to the Marietta Fruit Company (or the Elizabeth Country Club for us native Mariettans who know it best). Only open for lunch, the Fruit Company has been around for nearly 50 years and serves some of the best country cooking in the state of Georgia. Owned by couple Barbara and Jimmy (who sadly passed away this year) Russell, the Fruit Company is a beloved mainstay in town and one of my very favorite places to eat when I’m home. You get your choice of a a meat and two or three vegetables (served on plastic trays like you used to eat off of in school), cornbread or a roll, and a giant plastic cup of the best sweet tea in town to wash it all down. But the real reason I go to the Fruit Company is for the pie. Which is homemade every, single day. When the restaurant finishes serving lunch at 2:30PM, Barbara gets busy in the kitchen, often baking until the wee hours of the morning (and basically around the clock during the holidays when you’re allowed to pre-order pies to take home).

When I tell you that Barbara makes the best pie you’ve ever had in your life, I mean it. Every day there’s a selection of 22+ to choose from, and when you ask what kind they have that day, the answer is always, “What kind do you want?” Whatever pie you’re craving on any given day, they are pretty certain to have it. Lemon meringue: check. Kentucky Derby: check. Peach, apple, blueberry, sweet potato, pecan, coconut cream: check. The only hitch is that they follow the “first come, first served” rule, so you have to get there early to ensure you get the pie you want. Trust me, my heart has been broken more times than I care to count when the peanut butter pie is gone before I can get any, so I know to be standing in line when they open their doors at 11:00AM.

The only problem is that my love of wine gets left out of this scenario. Which got me thinking. What’s the one thing that could make Barbara’s pie taste just a tiny bit better? A glass of wine to go with it, of course!

Since I love dessert wine (um hello, it’s sweet!), and because pie is basically synonymous with Thanksgiving and Christmas, I figured it’s the perfect time to put together some seasonal pie and wine pairing recommendations. Whether you go for fruity, spicy, or chocolatey pie, there’s a dessert wine to go with it that will add a whole new delicious dimension to your already delicious dessert course. Here are five of my favorite combos, with my wine picks to go with them.

PUMPKIN PIE

Because pumpkin pie is more savory than sugary, you need a wine that isn’t overly sweet. Vinsanto is a great option because it has a sweet-spice character that will complement the baking spice notes so prevalent in pumpkin pie, as well as just the right amount of acidity to balance its rich, creamy texture. Although most people think of Italy when they think of Vinsanto, Greece has actually been making this sweet wine (one word when referring to Greek Vinsanto, two words when referring to Italian Vin Santo) since as far back as the 16th century. Both countries use the passito method (grapes are semi-dried before pressing) to produce it, but they use completely different varietals and drying methods. These wines are made in varying degrees of sweetness, but my favorites from both countries are the ones that are more savory, as is the case with this selection. I love the nutty, dried fruit notes in Vinsanto, which for me, go hand in hand with pumpkin and everything fall. My pick:

Apple pie is the perfect combination of fruit and spice, and tends to be less dense than other types of pie, so you want a wine with similar characteristics. A botrytized wine is an excellent fit here. Its pronounced stone fruit, caramel and honeyed flavors pair perfectly with the flavor of apples, while its light, bright, elegant mouth feel offers a great textural balance. These wines also typically have mouthwatering acidity that will cut through the sugar and butter and keep your palate cleansed. My pick:

Dense, rich, nutty and sweet, pecan pie is everything rolled into one dessert. Because of its layers of flavor and texture, there are a number of dessert wines that will work, but my go-to here is Tawny Port. Tawny Port is full-bodied and rich, which the wine needs to be in order to stand up to the weight of this pie, and also has enough acidity to cut through and balance the richness of the savory nuts, buttery crust, and sugary filling. Plus, it has nutty aromas and flavors that make for a tasty flavor pairing between it and the pie. My pick:

If you’re unfamiliar with chess pie, it is a southern specialty made with four basic ingredients — eggs, sugar, butter and a touch of flour or cornmeal – resulting in a pie that’s custard-like and creamy. Numerous flavor variations exist, but my favorite is lemon because it balances the sweetness of the filling, which in turn lets the citrus be the star. A delicious pairing for this pie is Tokaji, one of Hungary’s most renowned wines. It is both tart and sweet at the same time, with an exceptional balance between sugar and acidity. Notes of citrus and vanilla make it a desirable flavor pairing with chess pie, while its elegant, lush texture works well with its creaminess. And the great thing about Tokaji is that it comes in varying degrees of sweetness, which is indicated by the number of puttonyos (three to six) listed on the label. The higher the number, the sweeter the wine, so if you really want the tartness of the pie to be center stage you can choose a Tokaji that’s a touch less sweet. My pick:

Simple, silky and not too heavy, chocolate pie calls for something elegant and fruity. For all types of chocolate (excluding white), Ruby Port is a beautiful choice thanks to its fresh, red berry flavors (who doesn’t love the taste of chocolate covered berries?), and its medium to full-bodied mouth feel, which is a lovely match for the weight of this pie. Of all the different categories of Ruby Port, Late Bottled Vintage Port is where I find the greatest bang for your buck because it gains the complexity of a vintage Port from being aged for at least four years, but only costs a fraction of the price. It has all the juicy complexity you need to make a simple chocolate pie really shine. My pick:

Although Ruby Port goes well with any kind of chocolate, a late harvest red wine would be a delightful pairing specifically for pies made with dark chocolate. In comparison to late harvest whites, the reds have a touch more tannin, which pairs swimmingly with the bitter tannins in dark chocolate, and they tend to have more savory and spicy notes, which go nicely with its lesser sweet nature. Late harvest reds aren’t super common, but are definitely worth seeking out if you really want to make your dark chocolate pie sing. My pick:

Just remember that when it comes to pairing wine with dessert of any kind, think: sweet with sweet. You want to choose a wine that is at least as sweet, if not sweeter, than the dessert itself or else the wine can taste a touch sour. And if you’re ever in doubt as to what kind of dessert wine to choose, think in terms of color — the darker the dessert, the darker the wine should be.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and the special people in your life. Enjoy your Turkey Day feast and make sure you save room for pie!

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